Safety attachment to grain elevators



Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

ARVID LUNDIVEAN, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

sAnntrY A'rTAoiir iian'r To GRAIN ELEVATORS.

Application filed December 2t), 1924 Serial 110. 757,165.

To (.(ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, r-knvm LUNDMAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of lVinnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments to Grain Elevators, of which the following is the specification.

The invention relates to improvements in safety attachments to grain elevators, particularly to an attachment associated with the tilting platform and dump door of the elevator and an object of the invention is to provide a safety appliance arranged such that the dump door has positively to be opened before the tilting platform can be unlocked, the closed dump door accordingly acting to lock the platform against tilting.

A further object of the invention is to construct the appliance in a manner such that when the dump door has been opened a pr'e determined amount, tlie'tilting platform can be unlatched and allowed to tilt.

Vith the above more important objects in view the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through the dump door and showing parts of the tilting platform, part of the platform locking mechanism and my attachment, the attachment being shown in vertical section and in the position occupied when the platform is locked against tilting.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to F igure 1 wlth the dump door opened and the platform unlocked.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view at 3-3 Figure l and looking towards the cross shaft.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view at ll Figure 3 and looking towards the locking latch.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

As the tilting platform, the dump door and the locking means for the platform, are now commonly used, I have not considered it necessary to show the same in their entirety or give a detailed description thereof. Anyone familiar with elevators knows exactly how these parts are made and operated.

The dump door 1 is located at one end of the tilting platform 2 and the platform is locked against tilting by a pair of latches 3 which latches can be swung by a suitable mechanism provided from the locked positicn of the platform as shown in Figure 8, to the unlocked positionthereof, as shown in Figure 2.

When a team draiving a wagon or sleigh load, such as of grain, reaches the elevator, it drives over the door and on to the plat form and the load is dumped by tilting down the rear end of the platform, the dump door having been previously opened. The grain then lions out the end of the wagon box and down through the door opening, where it is caught in bins or such like.

There are usually two latches 3 (see Fig ure 3) provided, the latches being permanent-ly secured to a rotatably mounted cross shaft land to the shaft a lever 5' connected, the free end of the lever being pivotal'ly attached to a swinging, co-n'iparatively long arm 6. Customarily the lever is operated by a foot pedal (not shown) and as the lever is comparatively long and that 5 short, there is suflicient play in the pivot connection between the parts to allow of the free swinging of the same for the limited distance required to release the latches. In the locked position the latches engage with a shoulder 7 located at the rear end of the platform, and in the unlocked position they swin away from the platform to an upright position thereby permitting the platform to tilt.

There is a possibility, through carelessness, of the platform being unlocked when w the team drives on to it, with the result that an accident occurs. To avoid this I have provided an attachment, hereafter disclosed, which positively locks the latches against releasing from the platform until the door 1 has been opened. In other words, if the door is closed, the platform cannot be unlocked.

The attachmentprovided is now described.

More or less cent ally of the cross shaft 4; I secure a swinging, permanently mounted lever 8, which has the upper end thereof bracketed as indicated at 9 and carrying pivotally a push pin 10. The lever extends in the same direction as the latches, so that its movements are the same as the latches. The push pin has the free end thereof passing slidably through a suitable opening provided in a supporting bracket 11 attached to one of the stationary cross beams on the elevator structure.

To the underside of the door 1 I secure permanently a locking bar 12 of a sector shape which has the curved face 13 thereof, for the greater part concentric to the hinge 1 of the dump door and in the locked position of the latches, the push pin is adapted to engage with the curved face of the said locking bar. 7

In Figure 1 the dump door is shown in the closed position and obviously it is impossible for anyone to unlock the latches to free the platform to tilt, owing to the fact that any back movement of the latches in a direction away from the shoulder 7, is positively prevented by the rear end of the push pin, at this time in contact with the bar 12. I might here point out that although the attendant might try to operate the arm 6, he cannot do so, for the reason that the push pin is engaged at this time by the bar 12.

According to the above arrangement, it is quite safe for a farmer, or such like person to drive over the dump door and on to the platform, and take the correct position for dumping the load on the platform. The farmer, having driven on the platform, the elevator operator has then to open the dump door in which position it is shown in Figure 2. This passes the locking bar away from the push pin and accordingly permits the attendant to operate the necessary mechanism to turn the shaft and release the latches from the shoulders. This permits the plat-- form to tilt. As the latches swing back, the push pin slides freely back through the bracket 11. Upon the load being dumped, the platform is returned to its initial position and locked by the latches and the door is subsequently closed and at this time the parts will again be in the position shown in Figure 1.

What I claim as my invention is The combination with a tilting platform, a pivoted dump door associated therewith, a rotatably mounted cross shaft, latches secured to the shaft and normally locking the tilting platform means for rotating the shaft to release the latches and unlock the platform, of an arm secured to the shaft and moving with the latches, a suitably supported locking pin carried by the arm and a locking bar secured to the underside of the door and engaging with the pin and preventing movement of the latches upon the door being closed, said locking bar being adapted to pass out of the path of travel of the pin upon the dump door being opened.

Signed at Winnipeg, this 1 day of November, 1924.

ARVID LUNDMAN.

against movement and 

